What is mastering, and how is it different from mixing?
Mixing is balancing each instrument and the vocal against the others, then bouncing them to one file. Mastering comes next and is the last step. It works on that one file so the song is about as loud as other songs, does not clip at its loudest points and is a file on spec for release.
What mastering does
There are 4 main jobs, listed below. MOYS does all 4 automatically.
- Set the song's overall loudness: MOYS sets it to -14 LUFS
- Keep the peaks from clipping: true peak at or below -2 dBTP
- Adjust the overall tone a little: harsh highs and fizz come down only when they go over, and bass below 120Hz goes to the center
- Make the file the format a distributor (the company that sends songs to streaming) takes: 44.1kHz WAV in both 24-bit and 16-bit
What mastering cannot fix
Mastering gets a file with every sound already mixed together, so it cannot fix one instrument. A buried vocal, a boomy bass or quiet drums have to be fixed in the mix.
Clipping that is already in the file cannot be undone, and a file that was once an MP3 does not get its quality back.
Ask yourself: if this song only got louder, would you release it? If not, the mix is not finished.
Preparing your mix for mastering
- Turn off the last limiter or maximizer you added for loudness before you export. EQ and compression that are part of the song's sound can stay.
- Do not let it clip. If it does, turn the master level down in your software and export again.
- Export a WAV if you can, not an MP3.
- Always keep the original mix file.
Do it yourself, hire an engineer or go automatic
You can do it yourself with plugins and a trained ear. A mastering engineer listens to your song and adjusts it the way you ask. An automatic service such as MOYS is fast and needs no audio jargon, but you choose from the styles on offer; it does not listen and talk it through with you the way an engineer does.
To adjust by hand without buying plugins, the MOYS Studio is free in the browser.